Chapter 14
The view from the room took Storm’s breath. The magnificent windows overlooked the ocean below. She stepped out onto the balcony and sucked in the salt air. From this view, there was no angry volcano taking back her land and spewing her black hot lava around homes and across streets, evicting people from their lives. Here, the palm trees swayed in the ocean’s breeze and the sun’s rays skipped across the ocean’s surface.
Directly below was a grassy area set up with round tables dressed in white cloths accompanied by white slat-back chairs. Storm hoped she and Harlan hadn’t evicted a real married couple from their room.
Harlan came out and stood beside her. “There’s a king bed. I can sleep on the couch. We don’t have to share this time.”
“I don’t mind sharing. Did you know you snore?” With the view from the balcony plus Harlan standing beside her, she could almost forget about her real life and soak in all of this as if it were actually a vacation. She should think about her problems and how to solve them, but right now she wanted to forget the horrors and enjoy what was in front of her.
“Me? Nah.” He waved her words away with a spark in his eye.
He was incredibly good-looking and charming in a way that snuck up on her. He hid his more playful side, but he was loosening up and allowing her a glimpse.
“You’re welcome to your side of the bed. No need to be cramped on that couch. The suite is lovely, but a hotel couch is and always will be just that. Terrible for one’s back.”
“If you insist. I will gladly take a side of the bed. Are you hungry? I can get us food and bring it up to the room. I think that would be safest.”
“I’m not hungry, but I suppose I should eat something.”
“I’ll run out. But before I grab the food, I want a chance to speak with your father, ex-husband, and Robin. I’ll start with the men. I might be gone a while. I need you to stay here. Will you do that?” He went back inside and she followed.
“I would prefer not to stay alone for too long.” She could sit out on the balcony and enjoy the view for an hour, but the longer she was alone, the more likely her mind would race over what had happened to her and who was after her.
“You’re safest in this room. No one knows exactly where you are.”
“Can I ask Robin to sit with me?” Storm didn’t realize how out of sorts she was until now. She had been flying on autopilot, getting from one place to another in a hurry. Yet for some reason—maybe it was this room and the view—her adrenaline seemed to have died out and worry took its place.
“Don’t do that until I come back.”
“Do you suspect Robin? That’s ridiculous.”
“I suspect everyone. Will you humor me? It’s just for a little while. I promise. I’ll even bring lunch back for Robin, then you can ask her up here and I can talk to her. Get to know her better.”
“You mean interrogate her.” She turned away from him, no longer wishing to stare into his eyes.
He gripped her elbow and turned her back. “She might know something and not realize it. Maybe she saw someone hanging around the campus or your office. I’m not accusing her.” He softened his voice.
“It sounds like it.” But the fire was out of her as quickly as it came. Fatigue wiped the floor with her. She no longer wanted to fight with him.
“You need to trust me.”
“Fine. What are you going to ask my father and Randal?” She flopped onto the couch.
“I want them to give away something about themselves I can use to figure out if they’re a part of this.” He sat beside her.
“They aren’t a part of this.” She could not believe that either of those men had the courage to go to such lengths as her death. Her father had nothing to gain by killing off his only daughter.
“You don’t know that.” He put his large hand on her knee, swallowing it up. He was a formidable man.
She could only imagine the number of people he intimidated just by walking into a room. And yet, to be frightened of him, had never occurred to her.
“I know those two men did not try to poison me.”
“Unfortunately, people who use poison as their method for murder often feel close to their victims. The person who orchestrated the poison knows you.”
“I don’t like what you’re saying at all. I was not married to a murderer.” She would have known if Randal had those tendencies. They lived together for years. He never once showed signs of violent or dangerous behavior. His head was always stuck in a book or he was writing another fifty-page article on the history of this or that. He didn’t even use a curse word.
“His behavior has nothing to do with you. Skilled sociopaths can hide their true selves. They mimic the behavior of others.”
“Do you have an advanced degree in human behavior or something? How can you be so certain you know what Randal or my father were up to?”
“I’m not certain about either of them. That’s why I want to talk, spend a little time in their company. I do know how to get people to talk and keep talking. Especially when deep down they really want to. Guilty people eventually want to get what they did off their chest.”
“What did you do in the Navy?”
He regarded her a moment. “I was a hostage negotiator in addition to my warfare skills. I have no problem telling you, but please promise me you won’t go around telling everyone else. My work has been private for a number of reasons.”
She wanted to know all about him. Something was happening between them in this short time. She wanted the chance to explore it before it was gone. He shared important information with her about his work. What he did would make him high up on the chain of command. He wasn’t just any sailor.
“Whatever you tell me stays with me, Harlan. I don’t tell.”
“I didn’t think so.” He flashed that dazzling smile at her. “I need you to promise me something else.”
“What’s that?”
“If either your father or Randal say anything to incriminate themselves, you’ll go to the police. We can contact Officer Kalani right here on the island. He’ll help us.”
“They aren’t going to say anything because they didn’t do it.” Anger pushed her off the couch. She went to the window and tried to make the ocean’s presence calm her.
“Do you have a life insurance policy on you?”
“Of course. Why do you ask?” She turned to him.
“Who is the beneficiary?” He pushed to stand.
“It was Randal. But when we divorced, I changed it to…” Her stomach hollowed out.
“To whom?”
“My father.” She leaned against the wall for support. Harlan walked over and pulled her against him. He seemed to know what she needed before she did.
“I’m not saying it’s for certain that your father is involved. But you have to know that anyone can snap under pressure. Both of those men have something against you.”
“There might be something else I hadn’t thought about until now.” She leaned against him and soaked up the security of his arms around her.
“What’s that?”
“My father… I wouldn’t allow him to name the new education building. He was having an affair with the wife of a major donor. The donor backed out at the last minute when the affair became known. The opening of the building had to be postponed. The other trustees were furious and almost had Kenneth kicked off the board. I told him that he was an embarrassment to the school, himself, and to me.”
He eased out of the embrace and looked at her. “When someone feels threatened, even if the reasoning doesn’t make any sense to a rational person, the one threatened will stop at nothing to make the threat go away. Fathers and mothers have killed their children for a variety of reasons. None of them make any sense to a rational mind. Trust me on this.”
“You’re scaring me. You know too much about what makes someone do evil things.”
“That’s been my job for a very long time. I know what makes people tick.”
“I don’t want to think about any of this. Can we just pretend for a little while that all the things you’ve said aren’t true and we’re just here to relax?”
“I can’t pretend that someone isn’t trying to hurt you after what you’ve told me and what I’ve seen.” He brushed her hair away from her face with a gentle touch. Her skin begged for more.
“You’ve seen something besides the food being delivered to the room?”
“There was a man watching you at the shelter. I didn’t like it. That was why I wanted to leave when I did.” He pulled her back into his arms, and she went without protest.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was trying not to scare you. But it looks like I managed that anyway. I’m sorry.”
“You’re doing what I asked of you, protecting me. I’d still like to forget for a little while. Can you help me with that?”
“I’m not sure how.”
“I know how. Kiss me.”